Update: Here's a little from Siena coach Fran McCaffery on all of the rumors that swirled regarding his name and coaching vacancies.

"My thoughts from the beginning were to be the coach at Siena," McCaffery said. "I have a contract, I plan on honoring it, but most importantly I love this team and that's the only thing that really matters to me right now."

Various internet sites and newspapers linked McCaffery to Providence, UMass and Stanford, and if there were anymore, I didn't see them. McCaffery said he wasn't caught up in what other people were saying.

"I don't concern myself with what's on the internet because the people that need to know what's going on, know," McCaffery said.

Siena Finalizes Recruiting Class

According to a Siena press release, the Saints men's basketball team landed their final recruit of the season on Tuesday when 6-foot-10 center Wolfgang Gieler, a junior college player from Allan Hancock (Calif.) College, submitted his National Letter of Intent.

“Wolfgang will give us added depth in the front court and help our rebounding a great deal,” head coach Fran McCaffery said. “He is a mature student-athlete who should be able to adjust quickly as a result of his experience at the Division I and Junior College level. He’s also a tremendous person who will contribute greatly to the Siena community.”

Gieler, who hails from Bonn, Germany, averaged 17.5 points and 13.1 rebounds for the Bulldogs this past season earning All Western State Conference North Division Team honors.

His field goal percentage of 61% led the conference, as did his 16.8 rebounds per conference game. Gieler registered double-doubles in 19 of Hancock’s 30 games in 2007-2008, and he had six games where he pulled down 20 or more rebounds.

In 2006-2007, Gieler played in 13 games at Division I UC-Irvine, averaging nearly two points and over seven minutes per appearance.

Gieler has two years of eligibility remaining. He is the second recruit to sign, and will take the final scholarship available to the program next season.

Owen Wignot, a 6-5 forward from Wilkes-Barre, Pa., inked his NLI on November 16.

Marist names Chuck Martin as new Head Coach

The Red Foxes didn't have to wait too long before finding a replacement for former coach and former Siena player Matt Brady.

Brady left for James Madison just three weeks ago and today Marist named Memphis assistant Chuck Martin as their new head coach.

Martin helped lead the Tigers to a 38-2 record this past season and a trip the championship game.

Here's a little more on the man who spent two season at Memphis.

Martin has been an assistant at St. John's, Drexel and UMass, but his collegiate coaching career began in the MAAC as an assistant with Bobby Gonzalez at Manhattan during the 1999-2000 season.

A native of the Bronx, Martin played prep ball at St. Raymond's and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 1998.

He attended Champlain (Vt.) Junior College, where he captained a pair of NJCAA tournament teams before completing his career at Monmouth University.

His ties to the New York City area should be good for Marist in terms of recruiting as he has also been an assistant at St. Raymond's, where he went, and LaSalle Academy, where he worked with future NBA player Ron Artest.

Anderson, Moores to Transfer from UAlbany

This is big news for the University at Albany basketball program. It means two more scholarships are open and it means two of their players are planning on heading out of town.

Below is the school's press release.REID ANDERSON AND ROB MOORES INTEND TO TRANSFER FROM UALBANY BASKETBALL PROGRAM

Albany , N.Y. – University at Albany head basketball coach Will Brown announced today that Reid Anderson and Rob Moores intend to transfer from school following the completion of the 2008 spring semester.

Anderson , a 6-foot-5 sophomore swingman from Avon Lake, Ohio , missed the final 26 games of the season due to a foot injury. He averaged 1.0 points and 1.3 rebounds over the opening four contests in November. Anderson , an honorable mention All-Ohio selection on the scholastic level, appeared in 25 games as freshman when the Great Danes made their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.

Moores, a sophomore guard from Elmhurst, Ill. , played in a total of 35 minutes over 16 games in his first year with the UAlbany program in 2007-08. He transferred from Pratt Community College in Kansas . Moores was an all-area standout at York Community High School in Illinois .

“We support both players in their decisions to transfer and appreciate their contributions to our program,” Brown stated. “We will assist them in any way possible and wish them the best of luck in the future.”

Brown Still Linked To Providence

University at Albany coach Will Brown's name appeared once again in today's Providence Journal

If (Providence Athletic Director Bob) Driscoll’s next target is someone he knows will likely take the job, he can turn to a few men he’s already spoken to: Ohio University’s Tim O’Shea, ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla and Albany’s Will Brown.While that makes it look like Brown has spoken with Driscoll, UAlbany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy said Thursday that no one has contacted him regarding speaking to Coach Brown about a coaching vacancy.

Article 6.02 of the contract that Will Brown signed back in 2006, says...

In the Employee is seeking employment at another institution of higher education or a professional basketball organization it is agreed that such institution or organization shall first request presmission from the University's Vice President (Lee McElroy) to speak with the Employee. If that doesn't make it clear that McElroy must know if Providence has contacted Brown, I'm not sure what does.

Brown has three years remaining on that contract, which expires May 1, 2011.

Other names still in the mix for the Friars head coaching position are legendary coach Larry Brown, Ohio U.'s Tim O'Shea and ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla.

Other coaches that the Providence Journal reports could come up are Drake's Keno Davis, George Washington's Karl Hobbs, Wright State's Brad Brownell, Florida associate head coach Larry Shyatt and Syracuse assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who is the listed successor to Jim Boeheim, when he retires.

Ford: Thanks, but No Thanks to PC

University of Massachusetts coach Travis Ford has turned down the Providence coaching job, which leads me to this thought, okay more than one single thought.

Why did Providence fire Tim Welsh without someone(s) in mind to step in?

Why would they offer the job to an alum, Jim Larranaga of George Mason if he was going to turn them down? (If that didn't make sense, why wouldn't they have had him tell them he wasn't interested before turning them down and making them look foolish?)

Why can't they find someone to hire? This is the Big East right. (I mean I'll take the position.)

They've really run the gambit here.

Larranaga? No

Brown's Craig Robinson? No. Another PC alum, he left for Oregon State.

Larry Brown? Fran Fraschilla? Ohio U.'s Tim O'Shea are other names that have been thrown out there.

I guess this means we will go a few more days with the possibility of Siena coach Fran McCaffery and University at Albany coach Will Brown being in the "mix" for this position.

So Who's Going to Providence

So days after Siena coach Fran McCaffery was rumored to be a leading candidate for the vacancy at Providence, University at Albany coach Will Brown's name has now surfaced.

New York Daily News writer Dick Weiss wrote on his blog Friday that Brown is now being targeted as a possible replacement for Tim Welsh at Providence.

• Providence is focusing its search on Ohio U coach Tim O’Shea, Brown coach Craig Robinson and Will Browne of SUNY-Albany.Now Brown's name is spelled wrong, but both McCaffery and Brown have said they have not been contacted yet, but the Friars are going to offer the job to someone after alum Jim Larranaga turned down Providence and signed a contract extension at George Mason last week.

The other names out there for the Friars opening are Brown's Craig Robinson (reportedly heading to Oregon State), Ohio University's Tim O'Shea and all of a sudden former ESPN analyst and Manhattan coach Fran Fraschilla.

An interesting note, Robinson is the brother-in-law of presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Anyway, as coaches and administrators return from the Final Four, talks will certainly heat up.

Would moving to the Big East for Brown or McCaffery be a good move?

Of Course.

Would going to Providence be easy, competing with Louisville, Georgetown, Syracuse, Connecticut and Pitt?

Not necessarily and it might not be the best move for either coach at this point in their careers.

Hasbrouck earns Mid-Major Player of the Year award

Siena junior co-captain Kenny Hasbrouck has been slected as the Mid-Major Player of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.

“He can not score a single point, but he will still be the most influential player on the floor,” says CollegeInsider.com’s Joe Dwyer. “Kenny Hasbrouck affects the game in so many ways. He may not get the steal, but he’ll force a hurried pass. He may not get the assist, but he’ll make the pass that leads to the assist. He does all the little things that don’t show up in a box score.”

Hasbrouck and Ubiles....Mid-Major All-Americans

CollegeInsider.com has announced their All-American list, which includes 21 players.

Siena players Edwin Ubiles and Kenny Hasbrouck are amongst the players who were honored.

Other players of note are fomer Siena player Al Fisher, who was named MAC Player of the Year at Kent State and Rider's Ryan Thompson, who was injured and missed the MAAC title game.

On the Honorable Mention list MAAC first team selection and the nation's leading scorer entering the NCAA Tournament Charron Fisher of Niagara was honored as was Kyle Hines, who played for Siena coach Fran McCaffery at UNC-Greensboro.

About Me

Andrew Santillo is a sports reporter at The Record in Troy, New York. Originally from Niskayuna, Andrew graduated from Ithaca College in 2005 with a degree in journalism. He currently resides in Albany.